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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · pitch · mate · hand · rest · cap · snap · chip

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rest — a break
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cap — of ice
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com